HONG KONG: Hong Kong 's annual Lunar New Year fair in Victoria Park, famous for its flower stalls, has opened for business. The current economic downturn has caused concern among some vendors about a sales slump.
Fair offerings range from flowers to food and toys, with stalls up for auction a few months before the season.
The auction is seen as a gauge of the health of Hong Kong 's economy, and this time, things were not looking good. Some of the winning bids were about 10 per cent lower compared to the previous year.
Even vendors selling the popular peach blossoms, believed to bring good luck, were bracing themselves for a sales slump.
One vendor said: "Last year, all my peach blossoms sold out. This year is probably going to be difficult."
Despite the grim prospects, many flower vendors had not raised prices. And some customers, who make the fair an annual ritual, said the economic downturn has not stopped them from spending.
One customer said: "Chinese New Year is only once a year, I don't think about this problem."
Typical Lunar New Year products were not the only things being sold this year. Some vendors were taking an unconventional approach, using humour to draw in customers.
Keeping with the Year of the Ox theme, entrepreneurial secondary school students were selling inflatable hats resembling cow dung - a play on the Chinese phrase for a "bull market".
One of the students said: "The economy term "Ngau see" means the economy is turning better and the stock market is rising. And you know, "cow poop" in Chinese is "Ngao see" - it has a similar sound in Chinese."
The fair will run until January 26.
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更新1:
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